Ellie Schofield with the equipment at Beamline 7-2.

Preventing Reversals of Fortune

by Heather Rock Woods

An international collaborative team of researchers at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory (SSRL) is currently working to learn how to keep uranium soil contamination out of circulation in ground water.

Previous experiments show that soil bacteria, with enough fuel, will convert the soluble kind of uranium (hexavalent uranium) into a dramatically less soluble kind (tetravalent uranium).

Now researchers at SSRL want to know how to keep the uranium in that latter state, which should stay put in soils. If it were to revert back to the hexavalent form, which can seep far through the groundwater, the uranium could potentially spread contamination over larger areas. The bacteria chemically reduce hexavalent uranium by giving it extra electrons. But in the presence of oxygen, the uranium oxide could subsequently lose these electrons and be oxidized back to the more soluble form. Read more...

Laptop Ergonomic
and Heat Safety

by Tim Miller

Although extremely convenient, laptop computers can cause ergonomic problems and sometimes generate too much heat.

A keyboard in a well-designed computer workstation should sit low and tilt downward toward the user. The screen top should sit near eye height. Setting the laptop on a stand that tilts the base down in front and up in back can help. Laptop users should also consider taking several stretch breaks per hour and avoiding resting their forearms on sharp-edged work surfaces.

In addition, the heat generated by lithium ion batteries can cause problems including skin burns, equipment damage and fire. Laptop users should make sure they have adequate space below their computers, unblock ventilation ports and make sure that cooling fans are running. A laptop stand, such as the one pictured above, can help to efficiently channel air through the computer. This added airflow helps to cool a laptop's lithium ion batteries, which also helps to extend their service life.

Roger Kornberg to Present Public Lecture

by Kelen Tuttle

Image courtesy of Linda A. Cicero, Stanford News Service Save the date: Nobel Laureate Roger Kornberg will present From Atoms to Animals: The Vital Force in Biology at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 26. All are welcome to attend.

SLAC to Host P5 Meeting

by Kelen Tuttle and Tona Kunz

The Particle Physics Project Prioritization Panel will meet at SLAC this week in the second of three cross-country town hall meetings to aid in forming a new 10-year-plan for U.S. particle physics.

By April, P5 will make a recommendation to the U.S. High Energy Physics Advisory Panel that takes into account the field's fluid nature and considers projects in different budget scenarios.

The agenda, including two days of public presentations on future scientific opportunities, is now available online. All are encouraged to attend this important meeting, in particular the Town Meeting on the afternoon of Friday, February 22.

Events

February 19: (12:30 p.m.) Experimental Seminar: DM-TPC: a novel approach to directional Dark Matter
February 20: (1:30 p.m.) AIS: Brian Lantz - Advanced LIGO: the Next Gravitational Wave Observatory

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Lab Announcements

Learning & Development Class Offerings - Stanford Campus

Community Bulletin Board

News (see all | submit)

World's Longest Accelerator Probes Universe's Tiniest Particles Wired
Anti-Hydrogen Atoms Detected in a Penning-IOFFE Trap Physics News Update
World-Wide Effort Bringing ALMA Telescope Into Reality NRAO
Big Science's Big Day MSNBC Cosmic Log

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View online at http://today.slac.stanford.edu/

Ellie Schofield with the equipment at Beamline 7-2. Preventing Reversals of Fortune by Heather Rock Woods An international collaborative team of researchers at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory (SSRL) is currently working to learn how to keep uranium soil contamination out of circulation in ground water. Previous experiments show that soil bacteria, with enough fuel, will convert the soluble kind of uranium (hexavalent uranium) into a dramatically less soluble kind (tetravalent uranium). Now researchers at SSRL want to know how to keep the uranium in that latter state, which should stay put in soils. If it were to revert back to the hexavalent form, which can seep far through the groundwater, the uranium could potentially spread contamination over larger areas. The bacteria chemically reduce hexavalent uranium by giving it extra electrons. But in the presence of oxygen, the uranium oxide could subsequently lose these electrons and be oxidized back to the more soluble form. Read more...

Laptop Ergonomic and Heat Safety by Tim Miller Although extremely convenient, laptop computers can cause ergonomic problems and sometimes generate too much heat. A keyboard in a well-designed computer workstation should sit low and tilt downward toward the user. The screen top should sit near eye height. Setting the laptop on a stand that tilts the base down in front and up in back can help. Laptop users should also consider taking several stretch breaks per hour and avoiding resting their forearms on sharp-edged work surfaces. In addition, the heat generated by lithium ion batteries can cause problems including skin burns, equipment damage and fire. Laptop users should make sure they have adequate space below their computers, unblock ventilation ports and make sure that cooling fans are running. A laptop stand, such as the one pictured above, can help to efficiently channel air through the computer. This added airflow helps to cool a laptop's lithium ion batteries, which also helps to extend their service life.	Roger Kornberg to Present Public Lecture by Kelen Tuttle Save the date: Nobel Laureate Roger Kornberg will present From Atoms to Animals: The Vital Force in Biology at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 26. All are welcome to attend. SLAC to Host P5 Meeting by Kelen Tuttle and Tona Kunz The Particle Physics Project Prioritization Panel will meet at SLAC this week in the second of three cross-country town hall meetings to aid in forming a new 10-year-plan for U.S. particle physics. By April, P5 will make a recommendation to the U.S. High Energy Physics Advisory Panel that takes into account the field's fluid nature and considers projects in different budget scenarios. The agenda, including two days of public presentations on future scientific opportunities, is now available online. All are encouraged to attend this important meeting, in particular the Town Meeting on the afternoon of Friday, February 22.	Events February 19: (12:30 p.m.) Experimental Seminar: DM-TPC: a novel approach to directional Dark Matter February 20: (1:30 p.m.) AIS: Brian Lantz - Advanced LIGO: the Next Gravitational Wave Observatory Access (see all) Alpine Gate & PEP Ring Road closed Gates 17 & 30 open 24-7 Research Yard bisected Announcements (see all \| submit) Lab Announcements Learning & Development Class Offerings - Stanford Campus Community Bulletin Board Stanford University Faculty and Staff Help Center Bill Gates to Speak at Stanford, Feb. 19 at 3:45 p.m. Free tax planning workshops Total eclipse of the moon, Feb. 20 News (see all \| submit) World's Longest Accelerator Probes Universe's Tiniest Particles Wired Anti-Hydrogen Atoms Detected in a Penning-IOFFE Trap Physics News Update World-Wide Effort Bringing ALMA Telescope Into Reality NRAO Big Science's Big Day MSNBC Cosmic Log
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	Tuesday - February 19, 2008